Social Media is Changing How We Approach Death

I came across a great article on LinkedIn and it is gaining attention because of who it is about, Scott Simon, the popular radio host of NPR’s “Weekend Edition Saturday” who stayed by his mother’s side in a Chicago hospital as she died and he tweeted about it.

Well known people, celebrities+ are often the ones that grab the attention of the general population because of their fame. As long as it is for a good cause I am fine with that and especially for a topic that many of us are trying to make more mainstream when it comes to acceptance.

Death is a part of the life cycle and to be born, we will all die one day. We should discuss it, plan for it, acknowledge it, accept it.

When you think about it, the human race has been subjected to witnessing and being around death since the beginning of our race. Think of all the wars, epidemics, diseases, uprisings, and social unrest that the world at large has gone through. Death is a part of us. Our culture’s growing enthusiasm for sharing personal information opens “a very rare window into a forbidden dimension of life, which makes death part of everyday experience,” according to Lawrence Samuel.

We will see more and more articles, awareness raising, Death Cafés or other similar style groups pop up as time goes by as the younger generations want a return to how death used to be dealt with-with family and friends, non-expensive, community coming together and more personal than impersonal  funerals, cremations, celebration of life ceremonies.